





DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

GEORGE OTIS SMITH, Dirfxtor 

Water-Supply Paper 345— C 



UNDERGROUND WATER OF LUNA COUNTY 
NEW MEXICO 

BY 

N. H. DARTON 

WITH 

RESULTS OF PUMPING TESTS 

By A. T. SCHWENNESEN 



Contributions to the Hydrology of the United States, 1914— C 




WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 
1914 



DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 
UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

GEORGE OTIS SMITH, Director 



Water- Supply Paper 345— C 



UNDERGROUND WATER OF LUNA COUNTY 
NEW MEXICO 



N. H. DARTON 

WITH 

RESULTS OF PUMPING TESTS 

By A. T. SCHWENNESEN 



Contributions to the Hydrology of the United States, 1914—0 




WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 
1914 



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CONTENTS. 

Page. 

Introduction 25 

General conditions 25 

Extent of underground water 26 

Source of underground water 26 

Thickness of water-bearing beds 27 

Volume of underground water 28 

Rate of underflow 29 

Depletion of supply 29 

Quality of the water 30 

Wells 30 

Deming region 31 

Hondale region 31 

Iola region 31 

Waterloo region 31 

Columbus region 32 

Came region 32 

Lower Mimbres Valley 32 

Myndus region 33 

North-central townships 33 

Region west of Red Mountain 33 

Spalding region 34 

West-central townships 34 

Southwestern townships 34 

Southeastern townships 35 

Northeastern townships 35 

Deep borings 36 

Irrigation 36 

Results of pumping tests, by A. T. Schwennesen 37 



ILLUSTRATION. 



Page. 
Plate II. Map showing water conditions in part of Luna County, N. Mex 26 

11 D. OF o, 

MAY II. i'914 






UNDERGROUND WATER OF LUNA COUNTY, NEW 
MEXICO. 



By N. H. Darton. 



INTRODUCTION. 

This paper is an abstract of part of an extended report on tbo 
geology and water resources of Luna County now in preparation by 
the Survey. It is issued to meet the urgent demand for information 
regarding wells and prospects for underground water in Luna County, 
especially as to the limits of the area in which the water is available 
for irrigation. The facts were obtained by investigations made in 
1910, with a supplemental canvass for data of new wells in 1911, 
1912, and the summer of 1913. 

During the last few years a large number of homesteaders have 
taken up lands in the broad, level bolsons of Luna County with the 
expectation of pumping underground water for irrigation. They 
have been encouraged by the excellent results obtained by a few 
earlier settlers, and many of them have sunk wells and installed 
pumping plants and have already obtained satisfactory returns from 
irrigation. 

GENERAL CONDITIONS. 

The thick body of sand and gravel underlying the wide bolsons of 
Luna County contains a very large volume of water, most of which 
is within 20 to 150 feet of the surface. The depth and volume of 
water vary from place to place, but there are extensive areas in 
which the depth is not too great for profitable pumping and the 
volume is ample for irrigation. Unfortunately, there are also large 
areas in which the water lies too deep or is too scanty in amount, 
and many settlers have been or are likely to be located where they 
can not possibly obtain an adequate supply. One of the principal 
purposes of the investigation, therefore, was to determine the extent, 
depth, and capacity of the water-bearing deposits. In a large part 
of the region the underground relations have been determined by 
the sinking of numerous wells, but in some sections but little informa- 
tion is available. The map (PL II) presents the more important 
general conditions so far as they could be determined from the data 
obtainable. 

25 



26 CONTRIBUTIONS TO HYDROLOGY OF UNITED STATES, 1914. 

In the following pages will be given a brief account of represent- 
ative wells and a condensed review of the local conditions, the de- 
tailed statements being reserved for the report which is to appear 

EXTENT OF UNDERGROUND WATER. 

By far the largest volume of water in Luna County is under the 
broad bolson extending southward from Deming to the foot of the 
Tres Hermanas Mountains and thence southeastward through the 
gap between that range and the Florida Mountains to the Palomas 
Lakes, in Mexico. Most of the wells in T. 24 S., Rs. 8 and 9 W.; 
T. 25 S,R.9W.; and T. 26 S., Rs. 9 and 10 W., and the valley 
of Palomas Arroyo find, at depths of 50 to 200 feet, a large supply 
of water which rises within 20 to 60 feet of the surface. The limits 
of the area in which this favorable condition exists is a matter of 
great practical importance to settlers, for outside of the area con- 
taining an adequate supply of ground water the land is of no value 
for agriculture. Unfortunately the underground conditions in the 
bolson deposits are difficult to determine without records of many 
wells, and in some places where data of that sort are lacking the 
limits of water-bearing strata can not be located with precision. 
The Florida Mountains and other rock ridges delimit much of the 
area, but the form of the rock slopes under the bolson deposits is 
not indicated at the surface. Doubtless also there are underground 
many small ridges of rock which are similar to those outcropping 
in Snake Hills, Midway Buttes, and several other exposures, and 
which approach so near the surface as to cut off the underflow. 
On the map (PL II) these underground- water conditions are set 
forth so far as information is available. Undoubtedly a large part 
of the area shown on this map with the legend "Water conditions 
not determined" is barren of serviceable underground supplies, and 
the greater parts of the areas in which the water surface is more 
than 60 feet below the surface do not contain water in large vol- 
umes. The broad basin south of Cedar Grove Mountain contains 
but little water, and the great sink of Mimbres River east of the 
Florida Mountains appears to have but a scanty water supply. In 
the district lying between Cooks Range and the Goodsight Moun- 
tains the conditions appear to be favorable for good ranch supplies, 
but they have not been adequately tested. The water is consid- 
erably deeper here than in the Deming region. 

SOURCE OF UNDERGROUND WATER. 

It is a popular belief that the water contained in the sand and 
gravel under the great bolsons of Luna County is the underflow of 
Mimbres River, but it has been found that this stream supplies only a 




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U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 



■SUPPLY PAPER 345 PLATE II 




MAP SHOWING WATER CONDITIONS IN PART OF LUNA COUNTY, N. MEX. 



UNDERGROUND WATER OF LUNA COUNTY, N. MEX. 27 

small proportion of the ground water. The rainfall is about 10 inches 
a year, and although a large part of the rainwater evaporates, some 
of it passes underground. There is no run-off in the bolsons except 
after a ''cloud-burst, " when water flows to the lower ground and either 
evaporates or sinks. Considerable water runs off from the mountain 
slopes, flowing out upon the bolsons. Mimbres River brings into the 
region a certain amount of water, which it gathers from the moun- 
tains to the north, and this water and part of the rainfall have been 
passing underground for a very long time. The water from these 
sources fills the interspaces in the gravel and sand deposits under- 
lying most of the wide bolson about Deming and to the south. 

As the amount of rainfall water which passes underground in the 
region is unknown, it is not possible to give figures as to the rate at which 
the water accumulates in the bolson deposits. The loss by evapora- 
tion is so great that possibly only 2 or 3 inches of the annual rainfall 
passes underground. The amount of water annually received by the 
bolson deposits from the underflow of Mimbres River, the Arroyo 
San Vicente, and a few other streams flowing out of the highlands is 
very difficult to ascertain. As these waters probably spread out 
widely in the coarse sands and gravels of the bolson, the yearly incre- 
ment from this source is only a few inches to the acre. Gagings of 
Mimbres River from 1908 to 1913 at the dam site above Spalding 
indicate an annual flow ranging from about 3,270 to 30,000 acre-feet, 
and averaging considerably less than 10,000, and there is a small 
additional underflow. This water passes underground a few miles 
south of the gaging station. If its volume is estimated at 12,000 
acre-feet, and it spreads out under the 14 townships contiguous to the 
line of its southward flow underground to the Palomas Lakes, it 
would give an annual increment of less than half an inch. 

THICKNESS OF WATER-BEARING BEDS. 

The deposits which underlie the bolsons of Luna County vary 
greatly in their capacity to hold water, not only from bed to bed but 
in a single bed from place to place. They include many strata 
or beds of sand, and some of the records show that these beds attain 
locally a thickness of 40 to 50 feet. In most places, however, their 
thickness is much less, and many of the borings reveal some admixture 
of clay. Some representative sections are given in the following 
paragraphs to show the thickness of water-bearing beds in various 
parts of the region about Deming. 

At the Hicks well, in the northwest corner of sec. 7, T. 24, R. 8, 
the main water-bearing stratum extends from 46 to 100 feet, having 
a thickness of 54 feet, and there was more or less sand from 100 to 150 
feet. Half a mile south of this well the first water is in 5 feet of sand 
and gravel, the second water in 14 feet of sand and gravel, and the 



28 CONTRIBUTIONS TO HYDROLOGY OF UNITED STATES, 1914. 

third in 6 feet of sand, extending from 111 to 117 feet, which gives 
a total of 25 feet of water-bearing beds. South of this place, in the 
McBride well, 6 miles southeast of Deming, nearly all the water is in 
gravel and sand at 45 to 54 feet, clay extends from 54 to 67 feet, 
and sand containing considerable water from 67 to 96 feet. From 
96 feet to the bottom at 161 feet the deposit is reported to be clay. 

At the Shull well, 4 miles southeast of Deming, there are three 
water-bearing beds. The upper two are thin strata of sand and 
gravel; the lowest one, extending from 140 to 156 feet, has a yield 
stated to be 1,250 gallons a minute. 

In the Paxton well, 6 miles east of Deming, the first water stratum 
is 3 feet of sand, the second 22 feet of sand, and the third stratum, 
which yields the main supply, is 9 feet of sand, extending to a depth 
of 96 feet. 

In the Foulk well, 3 miles south by east of Deming, the water- 
bearing sands are only about 5 feet thick and are separated by clay. 
Two miles west of this well the water-bearing strata are 7, 4, and 14 
feet thick, and at the Young well, a mile farther south, or 6 miles 
southwest of Deming, all the water is obtained from a stratum 
extending from 55 to 75 feet, no water being found below this stratum 
to the bottom, at 203 feet. 

At a 70-foot well 3 miles northwest of Deming the water is derived 
from a 6-foot gravel bed near the bottom. 

The few deeper borings that have been made show relatively few 
beds of water-bearing sand below 200 feet, so there is but little 
prospect of great increase in supply with increase in depth. 

VOLUME OF UNDERGROUND WATER. 

As the water-bearing deposits vary greatly in thickness, texture, 
and continuity from place to place, it is difficult to determine accu- 
rately the amount of water stored in the deposits, and only an 
approximate estimate can be offered as to the annual increment. 
It would appear that in most parts of the region around Deming 
and to the south the average aggregate thickness of the water- 
bearing beds in the first 150 or 200 feet below the surface is about 
40 feet. Assuming that the water in these sand beds amounts to 20 
per cent of their volume, which is a fair average, we find that the 
quantity of water in a given area would be nearly 8 cubic feet to 
the square foot, equivalent to 60 gallons, or approximately 8 acre- 
feet to the acre. This is much more than the amount obtainable, 
because it is impossible to pump out all the water, the proportion 
available depending on the texture of the sand and some other 
minor factors. 

The area in this region under which lie 40 feet of water-bearing 
beds containing a fair volume of water covers about 500 square 



UNDERGROUND WATER OF LUNA COUNTY, N. MEX. 29 

miles, and if this volume is 8 cubic feet to the square foot, the under- 
ground water supply in that area is 2,560,000 acre-feet. Besides 
this area of 500 square miles there is a region of large extent con- 
taining a moderate volume of underground water, some of which 
can be utilized for irrigation. 

It is impossible to make an accurate estimate of the time required 
for the accumulation of such an amount of water, or for its restora- 
tion if the stored-up supply were pumped out. The annual incre- 
ment from rainfall undoubtedly amounts to a few inches, the amount 
varying with the porosity of the surface deposits. The Mimbres 
underflow of 12,000 acre-feet, as above estimated, passing under 
the 14 townships that are in the line of its travel southward, would 
amount to an annual increment of less than half an inch for that 
area. At this rate many years would be required to fill the voids 
in the 40 feet of water-bearing beds. 

RATE OF UNDERFLOW. 

The word "underflow" implies a movement of the water down a 
slope of greater or less amount, and the gradient and the porosity 
of the materials traversed are the principal factors bearing on the 
rate of flow. 

At Spalding the water is 30 feet below the surface, or 4,698 feet 
above sea level. At Deming it is 50 feet below the surface, or 4,290 
feet above the sea, and at Columbus it is 30 feet below the surface, or 
at an altitude of about 4,033 feet. As the distance from Spalding to 
Deming is 17 miles, the gradient between the two places is about 
24J feet to the mile. The distance from Deming to Columbus being 
31 $ miles, the gradient in that distance is 8.3 feet to the mile. At 
Iola the water is 46 feet below the surface, or 4,154 feet above sea 
level, a gradient of slightly more than 7 -J feet to the mile from Deming. 
At Gage the water is 26 feet lower than at Deming, probably because 
the upper beds are too fine to admit any notable volume of water. 
The rate of movement of water is very slow with these low gradients 
and in materials so fine as those constituting the water-bearing strata 
of this region. No measurements have been made, but to judge from 
determinations in other regions the rate of movement is less than a 
mile a year, and it may be as low as a mile in two years. 

DEPLETION OF SUPPLY. 

Nearly 200 pumping outfits are installed or under erection in the 
Deming-Columbus region, and it is expected that the average output 
of each one will be about 700 gallons a minute for about 400 hours 
a year. If the number of pumps were 500, which, however, is prob- 
ably far beyond the financial ability of the settlers now on the ground, 
the total yearly pumping of water for irrigation would be 8.4 billion 



30 CONTRIBUTIONS TO HYDROLOGY OF UNITED STATES, 1914. 

gallons, or nearly 26,000 acre-feet. This would be equal to water 
2 feet deep on 20 square miles, and with this amount or duty of water 
at 2 acre-feet per acre a season, 20 square miles to 500 ranches is 
equivalent to an average of only about 25J acres under ditch to each 
quarter-section homestead. As 500 homesteads ordinarily occupy 
an area of 125 square miles, the 26,000 acre-feet would be drawn from 
that area at the rate of about one-third acre-foot of water annually, 
or less than 4 per cent of the estimated 8 acre-foot supply. An 
annual increment by rainfall and underflow of 3 inches would be suffi- 
cient to provide for the irrigation of only about one-eighth of the 
area in which the underground storage conditions are favorable, on 
the basis of duty of water as 2 acre-feet per acre (2 feet deep over 
the area irrigated each season). 

Of course 20 square miles under cultivation as above estimated is 
a small proportion of the 125 square miles, or area of 500 homesteads, 
under consideration, nearly all of which could be irrigated by plants 
with an average output of 700 gallons a minute. Eventually no 
doubt the proportion of land utilized in each homestead will increase, 
as it must for profitable operation, and then the draft on the under- 
ground supply will increase proportionally. If half of the area of 
every homestead were irrigated the draft on the underground supply 
would be about 12 per cent instead of 4 per cent, which would cause 
a serious diminution in the total amount available in some areas. 
Wells too closely placed and drawing heavily would also deplete the 
supply locally, as the rate of lateral movement is very slow. 

QUALITY OF THE WATER. 

In general the water from wells in Luna County is of excellent 
quality, in every way suited for all uses. At a few places along the 
margin of the bolsons where rocks are near the surface and in the val- 
ley east of the Florida Mountains there is considerable mineral matter 
in the water, but this is an unusual feature. The water pumped for 
domestic use and irrigation about Deming and to the east and south 
is of notable purity. However, all ground water contains some 
mineral matter, and if large volumes are allowed to evaporate on the 
land this matter will accumulate as " alkali" in or on the soil and 
finally render it unfit for plant growth. 

WELLS. 

There are about 280 wells of various kinds in Luna County, most 
of tnem sunk within the last five years, and considerable well drilling 
is still in progress. Most of the wells are south and east of Deming, 
the largest number of them being in Tps. 24 and 25 S., E.9W.; T. 24 
S., E.8W.; and the south halves of T. 23 S., Ks. 8 and 9 W. There 
are also groups of wells near Hondale, Iola, Waterloo, and Columbus. 



UNDERGROUND WATER OF LUNA COUNTY, N. MEX. 31 

The location of representative wells and the depth to the principal 
water stratum are shown by figures on Plate II (p. 26), and the map 
also indicates areas in which water in wells rises to different levels 
within 400 feet of the surface. It has been found somewhat diffi- 
cult to obtain complete data for all the wells in Luna County, and for 
some wells the figures given by driller and well owner are not the 
same. 

Deming region. — In the region immediately about Deming and 
for some distance to the east and south there are many wells which 
obtain large supplies of water. Their depth is, as a rule, less than 
150 feet, the deeper ones reaching lower sand strata which ordinarily 
contain the largest volume of water. Many of the wells yield from 
800 to 1,200 gallons a minute. The water rises within 20 feet of the 
surface in the area 5 miles southeast of Deming, but the depth grad- 
ually increases to 45 or 50 feet in and south of Deming, to 60 or 65 
feet southwest of the city, and to 90 feet northwest of it. In the 
northern part of T. 23 S., Rs. 8 and 9 W., the conditions are less satis- 
factory, for the water strata are deeper, there is much quicksand, and 
the water does not rise as near to the surface. A few wells in this 
area, however, yield moderately satisfactory supplies. Southeast of 
Deming there is an abundance of water, except on the slope of the 
Little Florida Mountains, where the main water-bearing beds cease. 

Hondale region. — There are many wells about Hondale and between 
that place and the foot of the west slope of the Florida Mountains. 
They are from 100 to 150 feet deep in greater part and all obtain large 
supplies of excellent water, which rises within 30 to 60 feet of the 
surface, the depth increasing from east to west. Many of the wells 
pump more than 1,000 gallons a minute. The same water conditions 
continue for some distance west of Hondale, but the strata finally 
become more irregular in that direction and at some places it has been 
necessary to sink more than 200 feet to obtain satisfactory wells. 
The Snake Hills, which rise out of the bolson 6 miles northwest of 
Hondale, locally interrupt the extension of the water-bearing beds in 
that direction. 

lola region. — There are a few excellent wells about Iola, but in 
places rock comes near to the surface and cuts off the main underflow. 
Wells along Palomas Arroyo from the 76 ranch to Waterloo and 
beyond yield satisfactory supplies, but south of that arroyo there 
have been numerous borings with unfavorable results. Several wells 
with large capacity have been put down about Mountain View, 6 
miles northeast of Iola, and favorable conditions appear to exist in 
all parts of T. 26 S., R. 9 W. 

"Waterloo region. — The underground waters are near the surface at 
Waterloo and for some distance to the north, east, and southeast of 
that place. ' Most of the wells in this vicinity are only from 35 to 40 
39836°— 14 2 



32 CONTRIBUTIONS TO HYDROLOGY OF UNITED STATES, 1914. 

feet deep, and water in them rises within 18 to 25 feet of the surface. 
The area in which this condition exists is shown on Plate II (p. 26). 
The wells pump from 500 to 1,000 gallons a minute and yield ample 
supplies for extensive irrigation. The water-bearing strata are cut 
off to the south by the slopes of the Tres Hermanas Mountains and 
probably do not extend far east of Palomas Arroyo, but they underlie 
this arroyo and a narrower zone of adjoining plains extending south- 
eastward through T. 27 S., R. 8 W. 

Columbus region. — Underground water is extensively developed 
about Columbus, in the wide bolson traversed by Palomas Arroyo. 
The wells range in depth from 25 to 200 feet and obtain water which 
rises within 2 feet of the surface near the international boundary, but 
only within 50 feet or more in the region farther north. The volume 
of water varies greatly from place to place, some of the wells south 
and southeast of Columbus yielding from 500 to 2,000 gallons a 
minute, while others have much less capacity, the supply in some 
areas being very scanty. The underground conditions present great 
diversity, especially in the existence of thick bodies of quicksand, 
which appear to choke up the strata in parts of the area 5 miles 
southeast, east, and northeast of Columbus. One 510-foot boring 7 
miles east of Columbus obtained an artesian flow, but for some 
unknown reason this flow did not continue. In the slopes west, north, 
and northwest of Columbus the waters are deep and not in great 
volume. The strata are finally cut off in those directions by the 
Tres Hermanas Mountains. 

Came region. — The favorable underground- water conditions found 
about Deming extend down the Mimbres Valley through the south 
half of T. 23 S., R, 7 W., and the northeastern part of T. 24 S., R. 7 W. 
There are in this region numerous wells 50 to 150 feet deep yielding 
large volumes of water. The water rises within 1 6 feet of the surface 
near the river banks 4 miles southwest of Carne, and, while the depth 
increases gradually to the east and south, it is only 50 feet in the 
center and northeast corner of T. 24 S., R. 7 W. Farther south the 
conditions are less favorable, for the volume of water diminishes and 
its quality is not so good. In the region north of Carne the strata are 
variable, and while several excellent wells have been obtained, others 
are unsatisfactory. A 294-foot well 4 miles northeast of Carne found 
several promising beds of sand, but their yield was not ascertained. 

Lower Mimbres Valley. — In the wide bolson valley east and south- 
east of the Florida Mountains the conditions for large supplies of 
underground water appear to be unfavorable at most localities. Many 
test holes from 100 to 375 feet deep have been sunk, and most of these 
have found quicksand yielding little or no water or water of saline 
character. The district is a basin into which Mimbres River spreads 
out as a lake in times of exceptional freshets, depositing fine sediments 



UNDERGROUND WATER OF LUNA COUNTY, N. MEX. 33 

on evaporation. Evidently this condition has continued for a long 
time, as most of the materials pierced in boring are fine and contain 
minerals resulting from evaporation. The old well 92 feet deep at 
the Birchfield ranch, in the northeastern part of T. 25 S., R. 7 W., 
yields a good supply of stock water, but the water carries considerable 
saline matter. A well recently sunk to a depth of 160 feet at this place 
obtained water that is less mineralized. Another well 5 miles down 
the valley yields fairly good water, but several borings 275 to 375 feet 
deep east and west of it found quicksand with but little water or water 
containing much salt. A 135-foot well in the southeastern part of 
T. 26 S., R. 6 W., obtains a small volume of saline water. 

Myndus region. — A few wells sunk north and west of Myndus siding 
have found the water at about the same depth as in the region north- 
east of Carne, but the volume is less. At a ranch 3 miles northwest of 
Myndus a 92-foot well, all in hard clay, contained only 2 feet of water 
and yielded about 3 gallons a minute. An 80-foot well 3 miles north- 
east of Myndus contains only 5 feet of water and its capacity, though 
not yet ascertained, appears not to be great. A 275-foot boring 1| 
miles to the north is reported to have found a good volume of water, 
which rises within 80 feet of the surface, but it is lowered to 250 feet 
by pumping at the rate of 250 gallons a minute. 

North-central townships. — In the region adjoining the southwest 
slope of Cooks Range and Fluorite Ridge the bolson deposits appar- 
ently lie on a very irregular floor and water conditions vary greatly 
from place to place. The few wells sunk in this region have not devel- 
oped a large water supply. The most notable well is one 220 feet deep 
in the southwest corner of T. 22 S., R. 8 W., which afforded the supply 
for the camp at the Fluor mine and appeared to contain a fairly large 
amount of water. The water rises within 80 feet of the surface and is 
pumped by a windmill. 

Region west of Bed Mountain.— Several wells north and northwest 
of Red Mountain or between that mountain and the Southern Pacific 
Railroad obtain satisfactory water supplies, but farther west and 
south the conditions appear to be less favorable. A 300-foot boring 
6 miles southwest of Red Mountain obtained too small a volume to be 
serviceable. The amount available in the wells north and northwest 
of Red Mountain has not been fully determined, but one of these 
wells is reported to yield 100 gallons a minute without materially low- 
ering the water; this indicates a fairly large supply. In the low land 
in the southwestern part of T. 24 S., R. 11 W., the water conditions 
may be favorable for a moderate supply, as indicated by a good well 
a short distance to the south, in the next township. A new well in the 
northwest corner of sec. 21 is reported to have found water-bearing 
sand at a depth of 95 to 105 feet, from which water rises within 86^ 
feet of the surface. 



34 CONTRIBUTIONS TO HYDROLOGY OF UNITED STATES, 1914. 

Spalding region. — There appears to be a widespread body of water- 
bearing materials under the region adjoining Mimbres River about 
Spalding and for some distance to the south, toward Black Mountain. 
Many wells have been sunk in this district and, according to report, 
they are capable of yielding large volumes of water. The large 70- 
foot well at the ranch 3 miles northeast of Spalding has been tested to 
a reported yield of 800 gallons a minute. The limits of the area under- 
lain by the water-bearing strata in this vicinity have not been deter- 
mined, but these strata terminate near the rocky region in T. 22 S., 
R. 12 W., and to the east near the outlying ridges of Cooks Range. 

West-central townships. — At Gage station the railroad company has 
two wells, one 330 feet deep and the other 340 feet deep, in which the 
water rises within 225 feet of the surface. The capacity of each well 
is 30,000 gallons in a day of 24 hours. A mile and a half farther 
north two windmills draw from wells 300 feet deep in which the 
water rises within 270 feet of the surface. Their capabilities are not 
known, but they afford water for stock. The well at Van Meter's 
ranch, 3 miles north of Gage, is 380 feet deep, with water 310 feet 
below the surface. Originally the water rose to about 304 feet below 
the surface, but it has been gradually pumped down in supplying 
water for stock and domestic service. Four miles west of Van Meter's 
is a boring 381 feet deep that failed to obtain water. The bolsons in 
this region are underlain by a thick deposit of clay with many layers 
of sand and gravel, but the water is deep and the supply meager. 
Possibly deeper wells might develop additional amounts of water. 
In the 191-foot well at the Jordan ranch, near the Palomas Arroyo, 
in the SW. \ sec. 18, T. 25 S., R. 11 W., the water rises within 38 feet 
of the surface, and the well has an estimated capacity of 400 gallons 
or more a minute. At the Todhunter ranch, in the SW. \ NW. J 
sec. 11, T. 24 S., R. 12 W., a 100-foot well supplies water for stock. 
It entered the water-bearing sand at 75 feet and the water rises 
within 75 feet of the surface. At another ranch, in the SW. \ NW. \ 
sec. 12, T. 25 S., R. 13 W., a well 150 feet deep has water about 100 
feet below the surface, yielding about 15 gallons a minute when 
pumped by windmill for stock use. A 220-foot boring made in the 
shallow dry-lake basin just north of the mound of rhyolite halfway 
between these two ranches obtained no water at all, a result which 
probably indicates that there are no water supplies in the slopes south 
of the Victorio Mountains. A 103-foot well in the W. i sec. 26, T. 
24 S., R. 12 W., and a 116-foot well 2 miles northeast of that place 
failed to obtain water, but they were not sufficiently deep to reach 
beds in which water is to be expected. 

Southwestern townships. — In the wide basin lying between the 
Cedar Grove Mountains and Sierra Rica there is a thick mass of 
bolson deposits which contain more or less water, but so far as they 



UNDERGROUND WATER OF LUNA COUNTY, N. MEX. 85 

have been tested the water is far below the surface. The well a mile 
south of Victorio station is 430 feet deep, and the supply at that depth 
is not great. Six miles farther southeast, near the international 
boundary, there is a well 320 feet deep which affords a satisfactory 
supply of water for stock. A shallow well at the Williams ranch, at 
the foot of the Cedar Grove Mountains, yields a fair amount of excellent 
water, probably from agglomerate. North of the Cedar Grove 
Mountains the water conditions are variable. At the Klondike 
ranch, near the center of T. 26 S., R. 12 W., it was necessary to sink 
410 feet for a moderate supply of water, which rises within 375 or 380 
feet of the surface. It is pumped by a windmill, but when this raises 
more than 9 gallons a minute, the water draws down rapidly. In the 
arroyo 2\ miles west-northwest of this ranch there is a well 50 feet 
deep in which water rises within 40 feet of the surface, affording a 
supply sufficient for stock. Three miles farther up the valley, at a 
point just south of the Klondike Hills, a shallow well obtained water, 
but the supply was inadequate. 

Southeastern townships. — The water conditions in the southern part 
of Luna County east of R. 7 W. are not fully ascertained. Most of 
the area is underlain by sand and gravel which contain water, but the 
amount appears not to be large. Several wells on the Birchfield 
ranches, one just east of Arena and the other 6 miles northeast of 
Arena, obtain small supplies, but the depths of wells and water could 
not be learned. The railroad company has recently made a boring 
504 feet deep at Arena and found no water below the main supply at 
299 feet, which rose within 66 feet of the surface. The volume was 
tested and found to be 100 gallons a minute, but as the water was 
unsuited for locomotive use the well is not in service. There are 
some old wells that supply windmills in the north-central part of T. 
27 S., R.6W., and the eastern part of the next township north, 5 or 6 
miles west of the Birchfield ranch, but their depths and the depth to 
water could not be ascertained. They afford water for stock. 

Northeastern townships. — While the underground-water conditions 
in the region east of Cooks Range and the Goodsight Mountains are 
somewhat diverse, there is but little prospect of obtaining large sup- 
plies such as are found about Deming. In the valley east of the 
Goodsight Mountains there are several good wells for stock use and 
garden irrigation. These wells are 80 to 225 feet deep, and the water 
is far below the surface. 

Several wells have been bored along the west side of the Goodsight 
Mountains and near the railroad, northeast of Florida. The water is 
deep and while in most wells it is sufficient in volume for ranch use it 
is not available for extensive irrigation. 



36 CONTRIBUTIONS TO HYDROLOGY OF UNITED STATES, 1914. 
DEEP BORINGS. 

Several deep borings have been made in Luna County with the 
hope of finding artesian flows, but the results have not been satis- 
factory. 

One boring 6 miles southeast of Deming was 1,665 feet deep, but 
below 520 feet the materials were so compact that they yielded little 
water. The water at 520 feet came within 17 feet of the surface and, 
with that from higher strata, afforded an ample supply for pumping. 
A 710-foot boring 3 J miles east of Deming is reported to have obtained 
a small flow which lasted for a short time, but finally only the shal- 
lower waters were utilized. In a 980-foot boring in Deming the water 
came within 9 feet of the surface, but the principal supply was ob- 
tained at a moderate depth. 

It is asserted that a depth of nearly 1,000 feet was reached at the 
Shay ranch, 7 miles northeast of Columbus. Water was found at 
intervals all the way down and came within 15 feet of the surface. 
A 510-foot well recently sunk 7 miles north-northeast of Columbus 
found a flow which lasted awhile but finally ceased for some unex- 
plained reason. 

It is not at all unlikely that a deep boring to the bottom of the 
materials filling the bolson might develop a large artesian flow, but 
there is no assurance that such a boring would be successful. 

IRRIGATION. 

The more extended report on Luna County will contain a brief 
account of irrigation by well water in various parts of the county. 
Many of the wells are equipped with pumps capable of delivering 
from 500 to 1,500 gallons a minute, and at some of the ranches con- 
siderable irrigation has been done already, with very satisfactory 
results as to products and cost. The wells for this service are mostly 
from 100 to 200 feet deep and have water from 20 to 50 feet below 
the surface. Naphtha is the fuel at most of the plants, but crude 
oil has been employed at some and found much cheaper, and elec- 
tricity carried, by wires from Deming is used at a number of places. 
There are many irrigation plants near Deming, Carne, Hondale, 
Mountain View, and Waterloo and south of Columbus, and while the 
area irrigated ranges from a quarter section of 160 acres to a small gar- 
den plot, the extent of land under cultivation is generally from 20 to 
40 acres. The amount of water used varies considerably. It is gen- 
erally agreed that 30 inches, or 2J acre-feet per acre, is desirable, but 
less than this amount will serve if the water is properly applied and the 
ground is carefully cultivated. Much depends on the soil, which 
varies from sand to almost impervious silt, and there is also some 
range in the character of the subsoil. The rainfall, snowfall, nature 



UNDERGROUND WATER OF LUNA COUNTY, N. MEX. 



37 



of winds, arrangement of ditches, and amount of water immediately 
available are important factors. 

The following table gives a summary of the cost of pumping for 
irrigation at a number of places in Luna County: 

Cost of pumping at irrigation plants in Luna County, N. Mex. 



Locality. 


Lift 
(feet). 


Reported 
yield (gal- 
lons a min- 
ute). 


Cost of fuel 
per acre- 
foot. 


Approxi- 
mate cost 
per acre- 
foot per foot 
raised 
(cents). 


Fuel and cost per 
gallon. 




49 

27-42 

52 

a 45-50 

a 67-70 

23-25 

2-7 

a 6-12 

a 12-18 


1,250 

1,250 

350 

250 

500 

600 

1,500 

1,000 

1,200 


$1.21 
1.43 
2.10 
4.20 
1.09 
1.70 

.48 
1.68 

.945 


21 
3| 
4 

? 

7 

i! 

5i 


Naphtha, 14 cents. 
Do. 


Do 


Do 


Do. 




Do. 


Do 






Naphtha, 14 cents. 
Do. 




Do 


Do. 


Do 


Do. 







a These are based on estimated drawdowns. 



RESULTS OF PUMPING TESTS. 

By A. T. Schwennesen. 

Estimates of the yield from irrigating plants are usually based on 
the manufacturer's figures of the capacity of the pumps under cer- 
tain ideal conditions. As such conditions seldom exist in actual 
practice, the yields are usually much overestimated. To obtain some 
reliable data in the Mimbres Valley, a series of five pumping tests 
were made during August and September, 1913. 

The plants chosen for testing represent average types, and no at- 
tempt was made to select the largest or most efficient. Thus plants 
Nos. 1 and 3 are representative of the ordinary large plants, No. 2 is a 
good example of a plant of intermediate size, and No. 5 is an example 
of the smallest plants used in the district. Most of the existing 
plants are of the intermediate class represented by No. 2; few are 
larger in point of equipment than No. 1, although it has been re- 
ported that some afford much larger yields, and very few are smaller 
than No. 5. 

The discharge from the pumps was measured by a standard rectan- 
gular weir board set in the ditch. Simultaneous measurements of 
the head of water on the weir and of the drawdown in the well were 
made every 15 minutes during the test. The principal data obtained 
by these tests are given in the following table : 



38 CONTRIBUTIONS TO HYDROLOGY OF UNITED STATES, 1914. 
Results of pumping tests in Luna County, N. Mex. 



Depth of well feet. . 

Depth to water do... 

Cost of engine 

Cost of pump 

Cost of well 

Total cost of plant 

Duration of test hours.. 

Maximum discharge measured, gallons a 

minute 

Average discharge gallons a minute. . 

Maximum drawdown feet. . 

Average discharge lift do. . . 

Average suction lift do. . . 

Average total lift do. . . 

Effective horsepower a 

Rated horsepower 

Efficiency & percent.. 

Specific capacity of well c 

Kind 

Cost per gallon cents. . 

Amount used gallons an hour. . 

Cost of fuel per acre-foot of water pumped . 

Cost of fuel per acre-foot of water lifted 

1 foot cents. . 



75 
58.5 

$1,680 

$250 

$1,145 

$3,075 

If 



603 
10.2 
58.6 
15 
73.6 
11.2 



Distillate. 
$1.46 



67 
24.8 
$550 
$110 
$278 
$928 

i£ 

558 
555 
11 
22.6 
14.3 



43.2 
50 



1 
$0.93 



100 

47.1 

$1,000 

$608 



67 
46.3 



518 

444 

27.6 

69 

9.7 
78.7 
8.83 
32 
27.6 



12.3 
50.8 
11.4 
62.2 
2.62 
11 
23.8 



156 
122 
8.8 
54 
2.8 
56.8 
1.75 
7 

25 
14 

Crude oil. 
5* 



__ „ . pounds of water pumped per minuteX total lift in feet 
o Effective horsepower =- .,» „»„ ■ 

. ._ _ . Effective horsepower 

6 Efficiency- Rated horsepower 

c Specific capacity is the yield (in gallons a minute) per foot of drawdown. 

No. l.—The plant of C. L. Baker (No. 1), in the SW. 1 SE. } sec. 4, T. 
24 S.,E.9W., is equipped with a 40-horsepower engine manufactured 
by the Bessemer Gas Engine Co., of Grove City, Pa., and designed 
to burn crude oil and the cheaper grades of distillate. The pump is 
a Blackham-Seale single-stage vertical centrifugal pump with a 
19-inch runner. The pump is set 53 feet below the ground surface 
and is connected with the engine through a vertical shaft and belt. 

The well is dug 75 feet deep. It was originally bored 115 feet 
deeper, but the bored part was afterward filled in. For the first 52 
feet the cross section is 9 by 9 feet, for the next 18 feet it is 5 by 5 
feet, and for the last 5 feet it is 4 by 4 feet. The well is curbed from 
top to bottom with planks. No complete log of the well was obtained, 
but the owner stated that the materials passed through were yellow 
clay and gravels in alternate layers. The clay beds averaged about 
10 feet in thickness and the interbedded gravels from 1 to 4 feet. 
Two gravel beds near the bottom separated by 12 feet of clay and 
sand furnish most of the water. The cost of the well as given by the 
owner is as follows: 

Constructing 75 feet of dug well $800 

Boring 12-inch hole, 115 feet, at $1 115 

Casing, 12-inch, 115 feet, at $2 230 



1,145 



UNDERGROUND WATER OF LUNA COUNTY, N. MEX. 39 

The cost of the dug part of this well was excessive, and ordinarily 
a well of this kind costs much less. 

This plant irrigates about 30 acres. The principal crops are alfalfa 
and beans. Five cuttings of alfalfa a year, yielding from 1J to 1J 
tons an acre a cutting, are usually obtained. Each crop requires two 
waterings. From 6 to 7 acres of alfalfa can be irrigated during a 
10-hour pumping day. 

No. 2. — The plant of J. M. Graham (No. 2), at the northwest 
corner of sec. 11, T. 24 S., R. 8 W., is equipped with a 12-horsepower 
Fairbanks-Morse engine, belted to the vertical shaft of a single-stage 
vertical American centrifugal pump set at the bottom of a 22-foot 
pit. The engine is designed to burn gasoline and the higher grades 
of distillate. 

The first 22 feet of the well is dug 9 by 5 feet in cross section and 
the remaining 45 feet bored 22 inches in diameter. The dug part is 
curbed with pine lumber and the bored part is cased with perforated 
casing. The owner reports the following log for the well: 

Log of well in the northwest corner of sec. 11, T. 24 S., R. 8 W. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Mostly clay, with some thin beds of sand and caliche . 
Medium to coarse water-bearing gravel 



Feet. 
56 

67 



The cost of constructing the well was as follows : 

■ Digging pit, 22 feet at $3 $66. 00 

Lumber for curbing 10. 00 

Boring 22-inch hole, 45 feet at $2.50 112. 50 

Casing, 22-inch, 45 feet at $2 90. 00 

278. 50 

This plant furnishes water for 10 acres of alfalfa. 

No. 3.— The equipment of the plant of M. L. McBride (No. 3), 
in the NW. J SW. J sec, 30, T. 24 S., R. 8 W., consists of a 32- 
horsepower Fairbanks-Morse engine using crude oil and the cheaper 
grades of distillate. A No. 5 Layne & Bowler pump is set 65 feet 
below the surface and connected to the engine at the surface through 
a belt and vertical transmission shaft. The pump, with 20 feet of 
7f-inch suction pipe and 70 feet of 8 f -inch discharge pipe, cost $608.50 
f. o. b. at Deming. 

Three water-bearing strata were penetrated in the well in a total 
depth of approximately 100 feet. The following log was furnished 
by the owner: 



40 CONTRIBUTIONS TO HYDROLOGY OF UNITED STATES, 1914. 
Log of well in the NW. \ SW. J sec. 30, T. 24 S., R.8 W. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Soil, clay, and sand 

Gravel and sand, water bearing 

Clay 

Sand with some gravel, water bearing. 

Clay and sand 

Water-bearing gravel 



Feet. 
64 
6 
2 
10 
18 



70 

72 



The plant irrigates 20 acres of beans and 5 acres of maize. The 
beans are watered three times during the four months of the growing 
season. One watering takes from 75 to 90 hours of continuous 
pumping. 

No. 4— The plant of M. W. Hollinshead (No. 4), in the KE. J 
NE. J sec. 10, T. 26 S., R. 10 W., is equipped with an 11-horsepower 
Foos engine, burning gasoline and the better grades of distillate. 
The pump is a vertical single-stage centrifugal pump, set at water 
level in a pit and connected to the engine at the surface through a 
belt and vertical shaft. 

The well consists of a 47-foot dug pit curbed with lumber. From 
the bottom of the pump pit the well is bored and cased with perforated 
casing. 

The plant irrigates 20 acres of beans, Indian corn, and milo maize. 

No. 5. — The plant of E. S. Deane (No. 5), at the nortlrwest corner 
of the SE. i sec. 2, T. 24 S., R. 9 W., is run by a 7-horsepower Simple 
engine, manufactured at Trinidad, Colo. Crude oil and the cheaper 
grades of distillate are used for fuel. The pump is a Buffalo N6. 2 
single-stage vertical centrifugal pump with a 12-inch runner. It is 
set at the bottom of a 53-foot pit and connected with the engine 
through a vertical shaft and belt. The well contains one water- 
bearing stratum. From the bottom of the pit a 15-inch hole cased 
with perforated casing extends down for 14 feet. The following log 
was reported: 

Log of well in the SE. \ sec. 2, T. 24 S., R. 9 W. 



Depth. 



Soil, clay with some caliche. 
Water-bearing gravel 



Feet. 
65 



This plant is operated in connection with a small earth reservoir 
and furnishes water for 5 to 8 acres of alfalfa, melons, and garden 
truck. 

o 



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